A New View
by lovepb13
Summary: Set after Penelope. After what happened to Garcia JJ gets a new view on life and the courage to ask a particular brunette agent a very important question.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A New View  
Fandom: Criminal Minds  
Pairing: Emily/JJ  
Rating: PG-13  
Disclaimer: I do not own _Criminal Minds_. This is just for entertainment purposes.  
Summary: Set after _Penelope_. After what happened to Garcia JJ gets a new view on life and the courage to ask a particular brunette agent a very important question.

It was that night JJ had decided to do it. The night that she had gotten that God awful call to tell her that Penelope had been shot, the night she had felt her world falling apart only to be put back together again by just one simple touch. It was the sound of the brunette's palm connecting with her wrist when she was too numb to feel it and the shivers that ran through her body as their fingers twined together, making her feel, it was that simple gesture that had done it.

It was 3 weeks later now and that bastard was dead, the bastard that dared to hurt her best friend. She hated that man with everything she had but still she had one thing to thank him for or perhaps to thank Penelope for, she had a new view of life. She would never again put things off because they were inconvenient, because they were against bureau regulations or because she was scared. In short, she was going to ask Emily Prentiss out.

"Knock, knock."

The voice shook her from her thoughts, she could pick that voice up in a chorus of thousands. Every cadence and lilt that came from her years of growing up God knows where were permanently floating through JJ's mind, conjuring up seemingly unremarkable memories whenever she let her brain stop. Her head snapped up from where it had been bent over an unopened file and locked eyes with the beautiful brunette in her doorway.

"Hey, Emily." She said, standing up and moving around to the front of her desk. She was nervous as hell and had completely forgotten that she had asked Reid to send Emily in when she got in that morning. Had she brushed her hair after she had gotten into work? There had been a storm and she had been assaulted by rain and wind in the few moments she had spent in between her car and shelter. Had she even checked her makeup? Why the hell didn't she have a mirror in her office?

"Jennifer" The sound of her name in the afore mentioned lilting voice made her shiver in a mixture of fear and anticipation.

"Was... Was there something you wanted?" She managed to choke out, wondering how the hell she had gotten her current job when she apparently could be rendered incapable of intelligent communication by just one woman.

"Reid said it was _you_ who wanted _me_." Emily smirked, it was an innocent enough thing to say. The agent had no idea why she had been asked into the press liaison's office, she didn't know how true her words were. "Is there a case file you wanted me to look at?"

"No... I just..." She was never at a loss for words, never. JJ was really starting to get on irritated by the disarming brunette. "Shut the door behind you would you?"

Emily complied, closing the door with a satisfying click and leaning back on it. "Is this about James Baylor?" She asked, obviously concerned. "I know it was the first time you... do you need to talk about it?"

"It's not about him." JJ assured her. "I'm fine about that, honestly."

"Well something must be bothering you, is it a case?" Emily took a few steps closer, stopping a couple of feet away from the blonde. "Look, I know we promise not to profile each other and I'm not but I can tell something's wrong with you."

JJ couldn't help but smile at the concern in Emily's voice, that wonderful voice.

"Nothing's wrong, I'm just a little nervous." She said honestly.

Emily's eyebrow quirked in an adorable look of confusion. "I'm not being fired am I?"

"No, no." JJ said quickly. "You're not being fired. Why would I be firing you?"

"No reason, I just _may_ have asked Garcia to help me get some info on my landlord that wasn't exactly gained legally." She was blushing slightly, it the most goddamned cute thing JJ had ever seen.

"All of us have used her powers for evil every once in a while." JJ smiled. "Just don't tell Hotch."

Emily nodded, she was glad at finding herself part of another of the team's secret pacts. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

"And here's where it gets awkward again." JJ whispered, more to herself than to Emily.

Emily nodded encouraging.

"Emily Prentiss, would you like to go out to dinner with me?" JJ asked, her words coming out so fast she wasn't sure they really counted as separate words.

Emily smirked for the second time since entering the private office. "Are you asking me out on a date Jennifer Jareau?"

JJ winced, nodding slowly. "Yes?" She ventured, hoping it was the right answer.

"In that case," Emily smiled, "I would love to go out to dinner with you."

"Really?" JJ asked, her eyes brightening to their usual bright blue for the first time since Emily had appeared at her door.

"How about tonight? I could pick you up at 8?"

No way on this earth was she going to let Emily take control after she herself had been the one to pluck up the courage to break out of their limbo of lingering looks and touches. "How about _I_ pick _you_ up at 7.30?"

"Take me to somewhere where we can order everything off the menu for less than a $100 and we have deal, I hate fancy restaurants." Emily was smiling.

"Somehow I'm not surprised, Little Miss Rebel. What would Mommy Prentiss say if she saw you having fried chicken at a diner?" JJ quipped.

"She would probably be too busy starring at my date." Emily countered, proving that she could meet JJ quip for quip.

Their lingering shared smile was interrupted by a knock on the door followed by Morgan poking his head into the room. "Strauss is on the warpath, just a heads up."

"Thanks Morgan." They said together, laughing when they realised what they had done.

"Freaky." Morgan muttered, walking away again.

"If the devil incarnate is coming this way I'm going to make a swift exit." Emily said, smiling at the blonde before turning and strolling out the door. "See you at 7.30."

When JJ looked up Garcia was standing in her doorway. "What's happening at 7.30?"

JJ groaned, wondering if it was against bureau regulations to get a lock for her door.


	2. Chapter 2

It was 7.30 exactly when the honk of a car horn sounded through the lobby of Emily's apartment building. The brunette had been sat in one of the plush chairs for visitors, flipping though a gossip magazine and pulling faces at the downright depressing state of their society, it was worse than the stuff she saw at work. She remembered hearing somewhere, probably from Reid, that societies that become obsessed with beauty are on the edge of collapse. Maybe that was true but since as the reason for her early arrival at the lobby was that she had started getting ready hours ago and in the end just had to get out of her apartment before she changes her clothes again and ended up with a pile of discarded outfits on her bed the size of Mount Rushmore she didn't think she could judge.

She had eventually decided on a pair of tight-but-not-too-tight black jeans and a strappy white top that she only usually wore to her mother's 'Summer Luncheons' in an attempt to break the formal code. All in all she knew that the outfit looked good on her and more importantly JJ had never seen it before. Not even the jeans.

Flashing the security man at the desk a smile she threw the magazine back into the table and hoisted herself from the too deep chair. Her heels clicked loudly on the marble floor as she made her way to the golden doors and out into the early evening sun. What faced her on the curb was something she imagined to be out of a James Dean movie only in shocking colour. JJ was driving a powder blue 1966 Ford Fairlane on which she was currently leaning back on clad in blue jeans and a fitted pink checked top. It was almost as if someone had taken a picture from 1960's small town America and photoshopped it for the 21st century; the top had a contemporary edge and hugged JJ's curves to perfection whilst somehow remaining modest and totally within JJ's understated sense of style.

"That's not the car you drive to work." Emily said by way of greeting, her breath still a little hard to find from the sight of the blonde, however casual the outfit was.

"No," JJ agreed, "This was a present from my dad when I tuned 21, I only take it out for a ride on special occasions."

"Going to a diner is a special occasion?" Emily questioned, getting in through the opened door and sinking into the life worn leather. She knew that JJ had meant their date but she just wanted to hear it.

"No, but you are." JJ said, almost nervously, as she too got in the car and turned the engine on.

Emily just smiled.

........................................................................................................

The diner was just as Emily had requested, she believed the term was 'cheap and cheerful'. They both ordered food that was to be fried before consumption and carbonated drinks that came in little glass bottles with paper straws. The music was some tinny compilation of pop sings that neither of them was young enough to know or badly educated enough to like.

Conversation flowed freely with their usual rapport settling easily between them, heavy on the flirting. Topics ranged from JJ's car to music to family and inevitably to a case that had landed on JJ's desk that morning. As time passed plates were cleared and sodas were drunk, dessert was ordered and consumed and the bill was called for and paid. JJ insisted on paying.

........................................................................................................

It was dark when they finally got back to the car and JJ asked if Emily wanted to go back to hers for a drink. The brunette had nodded, trying to hide her nerves at the prospect of her and JJ being alone in JJ's house at night. And it was a house, a two storey, two bedroom house with a large bathroom and a kitchen to die for. It was in a perfect suburban neighbourhood where the lawns were mowed and the geraniums were arranged in patterned rows that Emily supposed sent some kind of message skywards, 'help!' perhaps.

They stood talking in JJ's kitchen, sipping red wine and gradually getting closer to one another. When there were inches away JJ put her wine glass down on the counter and took Emily's from her grasp, disposing on that in the same way.

"If I kiss you now will you kiss me back?" JJ asked softly.

Emily nodded.

"If I ask you to stay, will you?" JJ asked, her voice trembling slightly.

Emily nodded, shuddering as JJ's hot breath tickled her cheek with every word.

"And if I tell you that I'm too scared move?" JJ inquired, rooted to the spot.

Emily leaned in to kiss her, tentatively at first but growing in passion when she felt the blonde's lips slide over hers, opening without prompt and moaning when Emily slipped her tongue inside. JJ's hands fisted in Emily's shirt, clinging to her as if worried the other woman would run if she loosened her grip.

"God, JJ." Emily moaned between kisses. "You taste so good."

JJ gasped when Emily's hands ran down her back to cup her ass, pulling their hips flush together in search of relief. The counter was too high to hoist JJ up onto so she began to walk them back to the living room, biting JJ's bottom lip as she went.

"No." JJ said breathlessly as they reached the living room door. "Upstairs."

Emily nodded, kissing JJ roughly before letting herself be pulled up the stairs to a yet unseen bedroom. She silently thanked whatever higher power had stopped them from going back to her much less tidy apartment, strewn with the discarded date outfits that had landed on the floor despite her slight OCD.

As the door was closed behind them Emily pushed JJ against it, kicking her legs apart slightly with one foot before skipping her thigh between JJ's, eliciting a wide eyed gasp from the other woman. Just as JJ's breathing started to get quicker and her kisses more desperate, Emily pulled away.

"Not tonight." She murmured, resting her forehead against JJ's. "Not on the first date."

JJ made a noise that was halfway between a childish noise of annoyance and a sigh of resignation that Emily was right.

"You're not the kind of woman who has sex on the first date." Emily said, brushing golden strands from JJ's face. "You deserve to be treated properly."

"But I want you _so_ bad." JJ whispered.

"And I want you so bad it scares me." Emily admitted. "But I want to wait until it's planned and on both of our terms, if we do it tonight it will be too rough, too filled with desperation and pent up frustration. I want my first time with you to be making love, not just sex because we both need to get off so badly it hurts."

JJ nodded, understanding. "It hurts so bad, I don't think I can stand it."

"I know, Love." Emily said, the term of endearment falling easily from her lips. "I know."

JJ kissed her again, her mouth salty from the tears that were running down her cheeks. "Promise me you want this as much as I do."

Emily lifted JJ's hand and placed it above her racing heart. "If not more." She said.

"Stay with me?" JJ asked, her voice one of quiet desperation.

"Of course." Emily nodded, wiping away JJ's tears with the pads of her thumbs as she cradled her face. "Anything."

........................................................................................................

After several hours of lying there in fully dressed above the covers, holding each other and innocently caressing clothed skin, JJ admitted something she was sure that Emily had already worked out.

"I've never been with a woman." She whispered, running her fingers lightly up and down Emily's bare arm.

"I know." Said Emily.

"I've never even slightly been attracted to one before but from the moment I saw you I wanted you. I wanted you so badly that I was terrified. My small town upbringing where Jesus was at the centre of every family taught me that it was wrong. I never had a problem with it myself but when I thought about what my family would say if they knew..." She tapered off, not wanting to vocalise that unthinkable thought. "But then you would look at me or touch me casually and even once or twice hold me when a case got too much for me and the guys wouldn't understand... You made me feel safe and," She giggled, squeezing Emily's arm, "like a teenager with a crush for the first time."

Emily blushed and kissed JJ softly, pulling her closer. "I felt so guilty for watching you, for letting touches linger longer than I should have. I thought you would hate it if you realised, you were so obviously straight that I berated myself for falling in love with you, for being that stupid."

JJ's eyes widened. "What did you just say?"

Emily blushed even redder when she realised what she had let slip out. "Nothing, just that I knew you were straight and..."

She was cut off by a passion filled kiss. "I love you too Emily Prentiss, God knows why or how this happened but I do and I wouldn't change it for the world" she kissed her again. "I've never felt like this before."

"I love you." Emily breathed. It felt so good to finally say it.

"And I love you."JJ smiled, wrapping her arms around Emily's waist. "I know this probably sounds stupid to you but I can't believe how good you body feels, how it seems to fit with mine, how tiny muscles seem to jump under my fingertips and how soft the curves are compared to the angles of a man. I could run my hands all over of you for eternity and never get bored. There are so many little hollows and soft rises." She rambled, trying to express what it felt like. "I thought it would be just the same as it always has been with lovers but it couldn't be more different. The way your breath catches when my fingers touch the most unexpected of places like the inside of your elbow or the hollow behind your ear, like the pane of your stomach above your bellybutton or the flare of your cheekbone. Is this what it's like, the sex, one hundred little nuances you can't predict?"

Emily smiled, kissing JJ's nose. "Yes, and more." She said simply. "Much, much more."

JJ blushed before asking her next question. "What exactly... I mean I don't...how..."

Emily cut her off, knowing already what the press liaison wanted to know. "Foreplay is the same up to a point." She started, wishing she could just show her but knowing that JJ wanted to know first. "Then I'll put my hand between your legs and touch you kinda like you would touch yourself, only it feels completely different, so much better."

JJ nodded, her breathing shallow, urging Emily to continue.

"Or I could use my mouth and tongue, has a guy ever done that to you?"

JJ shook her head no.

"I can't describe what it feels like but it's so good that you won't last long when that happens." Emily continued, trying to keep the heat that was rising through her at bay.

"What else?" JJ asked, her voice thick with arousal.

"There's other stuff you can use, you know about that right?"

JJ nodded. "How will I know if I'm doing it right?"

"You'll hear and feel." Emily assured her. "But it's all instinct, just like it's been for you before."

"Have you ever slept with a guy?" JJ asked, knowing if this didn't stop soon she wouldn't be able to wait.

Emily nodded. "When I was young, a few times."

"Was it better with a woman?"

"For me it was." Emily said. "But I'm gay, 100%. I don't know what it'll be like for you." She was nervous about how JJ would take it, which was partly the reason she had stopped it tonight.

"If what I feel like when you kiss me or when we touch is anything to go by..." JJ trailed off. "Then I didn't even know it could be that good. But I am scared." She admitted.

"We will only do it when you're ready and when we do I promise I will be so gentle with you and I will tell you what I'm going to be before I do it."

"Okay." JJ said, sounding relieved.

Just as Emily was about to kiss her both of their phones went off. They both snatched their phones from their pockets and read the identical messages there.

"It's the case I was going to present tomorrow morning, there's been another body found." JJ said unnecessarily, the both knew Hotch had sent them the same information.

"Can you drive me to my place to change and get my bag and my car?" Emily asked.

JJ nodded. "Just let me change first and then we'll go."

"Some way to end a first date." Emily laughed as she got up from the bed and squinted for her shoes in the darkness.

"Not exactly what I had planned." JJ smirked, a glint in her eye.


End file.
